Did you reduce from a 32, 64 or 96 gallon cart? Did you increase your recycling and organics cart size? Was it fun for your family to find more ways to reduce waste? Whatever your story is we would like to hear it, and we may share it with Castro Valley too.

Click here to submit your story. All residences with a 20 gallon garbage cart are eligible.

What the Reduce Your Waste Size program is about: Castro Valley Sanitary District single-family residents (4 units or less) are eligible to receive a $50.00 credit on their next recycling & garbage bill by reducing their waste and garbage cart down to a 20-gallon. Residents, on their honor, are encouraged to commit to the smallest garbage cart for at least a year.

Bill payers may now request a downsize by calling the (510) 613-8745 message center with required account information or by completing the online form. Cart exchanges will be scheduled by appointment. Read on or call (510) 537-5500 for program details, eligibility guidelines, and the required account information to be left on the message center.

• Saving approximately $14.69 per month on your bill, or $176.28 per year (per 32 to 20-gallon cart migration at the rates effective July 2018). Your next bill will be prorated from the date your request was confirmed with Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. (WMAC).

• Receiving a $50.00 credit on your next WMAC bill.

Funds are provided by Castro Valley Sanitary District from a $64,000.00 settlement with WMAC, and the program is available to customers on a first come, first served basis.

When will the program be in effect
When cart exchanges will begin
How a cart exchange appointment will be confirmed
What day cart exchanges will take place
What time cart exchanges will take place
If a customer wants to expedite their cart exchange
When cart exchanges will end

CUSTOMER

Who is eligible: CVSan single-family customers (4 units or less) are eligible. The $50.00 incentive will be credited to the bill payer of the single-family customer account. Tenants may discuss the incentive with the bill payer.

Who may call to request the change: Bill payers or those whose names are on the account to make changes may call WMAC to request or by completing the online form.

MIGRATION

What kind of migration is eligible: A downsize of a garbage cart from a 32, 64, or 96-gallon cart to a 20-gallon garbage cart is eligible. In the case of 2-4 units, the number of garbage carts currently on the account that downsize are eligible.

What kind of migration is not eligible: A downsize of a garbage cart from a 32, 64, or 96-gallon cart to any size other than a 20-gallon. Migration of recycling or organics carts are allowable but are not eligible for the incentive. In the case of 2-4 units, the number of garbage carts currently on the account that downsize are eligible.

Not eligible example: 4-unit townhouses who share 2x64-gallon carts desire to migrate down to 4x20-gallon carts and receive 4x$50.00 incentives, totaling $200.00. Under this program, the 4-unit townhouses are only eligible to migrate from 2x64-gallon carts to 2x20-gallon carts and receive 2x$50.00 incentives, totaling $100.00. If the property migrates the 2x64-gallon carts down to 3 or 4x20-gallon carts, they can do so, but the migration is not eligible for the incentive.

CART EXCHANGE

What type of cart exchanges will take place: In addition to residents requesting cart migrations down to 20-gallon carts, customers may also request an increase from a 64-gallon recycling or organics cart to a 96-gallon recycling or organics cart. There is no financial incentive for a customer increasing a recycling or organics cart to a 96-gallon cart, nor is there an increase to the monthly rate. Click here for more information regarding how many exchanges are free per calendar year. There is a possibility of up to three (3) cart exchanges taking place per each residence/unit at one time.

How many cart exchanges will be scheduled per service day: A maximum of 50 cart exchanges will be scheduled per service day.

TIMEFRAME

When the program will be in effect: Callers may request a downsize and be eligible for the incentive starting June 1, 2011. The incentive will not be retroactive for requests made May 31, 2011 or earlier.

When cart exchanges will begin: Cart exchanges began July 1, 2011 and will be scheduled as an appointment by WMAC.

How a cart exchange appointment will be confirmed: A confirmation postcard confirming the date of the scheduled cart(s) swap will be mailed to the customer.

What day cart exchanges will take place: Cart exchange(s) will take place on the day of regular service (for example, an exchange on a Wednesday service day) by appointment.

What time cart exchanges will take place: Cart(s) must be placed curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the scheduled cart exchange day. Carts will be exchanged full or empty – carts should not be removed from the curb if they have been emptied before the cart exchange team arrives.

When cart exchanges will end: Incentivized downsizing will end when the settlement funds have been exhausted or until CVSan determines that the program will no longer continue.

INCENTIVES / FINANCE

What form and when the incentive will come: Incentives will be in the form of a credit on the next quarterly WMAC bill (issued around August 25, November 25, February 25, May 25 of each year). Due to the timing of processing, the credit may not appear on this upcoming quarterly bill, but on the next.

What form and when the downsize savings will come: Savings between the rate of the 32, 64, or 96-gallon cart and the 20-gallon cart will be effective the date the Customer Service Representative receives a complete request. Bills will be prorated from that date and the bill payer will see the change to the rate on their next quarterly WMAC bill, regardless of the date that the cart exchange is scheduled.

What the fee is for migrating: Each customer may exchange at no charge (free) one (1) garbage cart, one (1) recycling cart, and one (1) organics cart per calendar year. Exchanges in excess of one per year cost $73.91 per cart effective July 1, 2018.

CALL CENTER

Who to call to request the change: Residents may call the (510)613-8745 message center or complete the online form with the following required fields:

Name on the Service Account

Your Name (may be the same as the Name on the Service Account, or the name must be listed on the bill as a contact in order to make changes to the account)

Service Address

Account Number

Your Phone Number (so that a Customer Service Representative can call back if there is a question)

Residents may call WMAC at (510) 537-5500 or CVSan at (510) 537-0757 to ask questions, but staff will not be able to take, transfer, or process requests under this incentive program. Residents may only make a request by calling the (510) 613-8745 message center or by completing the online form to make changes.

Only customers who want to make a regular business cart delivery/exchange request or want to opt-out may call the (510) 537-5500 number.

OVERAGES

How a customer can handle occasional overages: A customer who has an occasional garbage overage while transitioning down to a 20-gallon cart may purchase Extra Service Tags from WMAC or CVSan offices for $7.76 per tag effective July 1, 2018.

CONTAMINATION

How contamination will be addressed: Recycling or organics carts that are used to dispose of garbage overages are considered contaminated, are tagged with a WMAC notification tag, collected as garbage, and billed by WMAC for extra garbage service. The rate for overages is charged at $0.37/gallon; an extra 30-gallon bag would be collected at $11.10.

Please note: Castro Valley Sanitary District (CVSan) reserves the right to make changes and/or adjustments to this program at any time for any reason. The questions and answers on this page are not exhaustive, but have been provided to help clarify or answer anticipated frequently asked questions, and may be updated. CVSan reserves the right to discontinue or alter this program at its discretion.